


Decisions Of a Capricorn

by Liddolyesplease



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, F/M, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) Swears, Manga Spoilers, Okay more romance then initially planned I em sorry, Time Travel, aot will be happier, lets change it all pls, levi does not know romance, liddol romance, realistic tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28250088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liddolyesplease/pseuds/Liddolyesplease
Summary: Levi Ackerman woke up one fine morning. In the past. Shit.Warning: Manga Spoilers
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Female Character(s), Levi/Petra Ral
Comments: 20
Kudos: 84





	1. Admit It

**Author's Note:**

> Summary: As a Capricorn, patience and determination are amongst your most well known qualities. Although no one is immune to occasional frustrations, you attempt to be understanding and calm in all your dealings.
> 
> Alternatively, Levi tries to make sense of what the hell is going on and tries not to chose violence.

What. The. Fuck.

This couldn’t be happening, it seriously couldn’t. Was it a dream? No, he had punched his fist into a wall, pinched himself but still, it all felt too real. Maybe he was in some sort of fucked up heaven? Whatever the case, he felt ready to throw hands with whatever deity had done this to him.

With a shaky breath, Levi began to calm himself and sort through the situation. His fingers were back, he could see from his left eye again. There weren’t any scars on his face nor any bandages on his chest. Levi was, by all means, back to his prime. Which would be great news really, except he was apparently five fucking years in the past. At least he thought it was five, considering the very much alive faces of his Special Ops Squad.

He had woken up, disorientated, expecting to either be bleeding out or in hell with Erwin. The sight of his impeccably clean office had made him pause. When he had heard a knock on the door and automatically told the person to come in, he had damn near short circuited at the sight of a very much alive Eld, strolling in with a cup of steaming tea.

What. The. Fuck.

Years of dealing with Hange and titans and the bullshit called life had hardened Levi to the point he could keep his expression neutral infront of the teen. He listened as Eld prattled on about duties and nodded along, not trusting himself to speak lest he shatter the world he had ended up in.

’.. Captain we’ll be leaving for the castle today with Eren..’

Eren. Eren fucking Yeager. Oh God, he was going to kick this brats ass. Even if this likely was nothing more then an illusion, he would whoop Eren to hell and back for the shit he had put them through-

‘Umm- captain?’

Snapping out of his vivid strangling Eren fantasies, he composed himself.

‘We’ll leave shortly. Prepare for the journey.

‘Yes Sir!’

On second thought, Levi thought as he leaned back in his chair, whatever deity had thrown him here might deserve a little thanks. He owed Yeager a black eye. Scratch that, he owed both Yeagers a black eye. Well, in Zeke’s case it was more of a blade through his throat. Maybe he could at least achieve that in his dream world.

* * *

’…. So the mission plan is..’

Levi had spent the last 5 years missing his dear friend. He had truly cherished Erwin, and hadn’t enjoyed his own part in the man’s death. But, he had forgotten how tedious and boring meetings with him were. Just how did the man go on and on about this crap and not lose his mind? And how had he ever listened along and not bashed someone’s, preferably his own, head on the wall?

Sipping his tea, he silently wondered how long this was going to last. The weird fantasy he was stuck was exceptionally accurate, not a thing out of place. It was almost as if it was all real. But he knew better then to delude himself, and so was only really playing along until he was back in his own time. Or world. Or whatever. The figuring out what-the-hell-is-going-on was more of Hange’s thing. Speaking of which, Levi paused mid sip as someone kicked the door open, interrupting Erwin mid speech.

’….Ness and his squad are in the right-’

‘ERWWWIINNNN’.

Levi perked up. Just a few hours ago, he had seen the exuberant woman burn to death. One of his closest friends was suddenly alive and well and absolutely fi-

‘PLEASE LET ME EXPERIMENT ON EREN PLE-’.

And, just as obnoxiously loud as ever, he chuckled to himself. He watched as she enthusiastically shook Erwin, demanding Eren for herself. The usually composed blonde commander looked like he wished he was the commander of any other military branch as he fended her off. Moblit could only try and fail to pull her away.

This Hange looked just as youthful she had been before becoming commander. Her eyes bright, arms flailing around like a tornado, voice screeching higher then it should be legal. It was the Hange that had been missing for quite some time now-replaced by an overburdened, tired version of herself. It felt good to see her rampaging around and giving Moblit heart problems and probably reducing his lifespan. Just like the old times.

‘Hey shitty four eyes.’

‘Hi Le..vi..’

Hange trailed off, clearly stunned. Erwin raised an eyebrow at him while Levi nonchalantly set his tea cup down.

‘What? You constipated?’

‘No, it’s just, you never say hi to me..’

‘Yes I do.’

Hange went on as though she hadn’t heard him.

’….While smiling like that.’

Oh. That explained alot. Levi hastily corrected his expression, he had gotten too caught up in his relief of seeing Hange alive and actually smiled at her. Said woman, however, was suddenly in his face, hand resting on his forehead.

‘Do you have a fever? What if this is a side effect of titan shifters on short people-’

‘Shut the fuck up four eyes.’

‘And he’s back to normal. So, Erwin, I need Eren to myself for-’

‘Hange- you’re talking too fast-’

‘Section Commander please calm down-’

’….We have so many experiments to conduct. What if there are titans attracted to Eren? What if he gives off pheremones and they want to MATE with him?’

The entire room went silent. Moblit looked like his soul had left his body, Erwin and Levi stared at her in disbelief. The former looked ready to hand in his resignation to God for his existence and the latter looked irritated.

Thankfully, Erwin spoke up first, before Levi could attempt to throw Hange out the window.

‘That’s enough. We won’t be putting him through experiments that we know have no basis-’

Levi watched as Erwin began lecturing a pouting Hange. He poured a cup of tea and nudged it towards Moblit, who tossed him a grateful look.

A part of him wanted to smile, happy to be back with the people he cared about. To have his comrades alive and well in front of him. It gave him a sense of peace that he hadn’t had in a long time.

But, ever the pessimistic, he dashed his own hopes.

None of this was real.

* * *

It was an effort, but through sheer will power, Levi managed to curb his violent urge to beat the shit out of Eren. Instead, he allowed them to make their journey to the castle, feeling hazy and distracted. His squad and Eren chattered as he rode ahead on his horse. He could vaguely make out Olou obnoxiously picking on Eren and biting his tongue. Just like the last time he had been there.

He couldn’t bring himself too look at them for too long, the horrifying scenes of their deaths would start flashing in his mind. Too long his nightmares had consisted of the deaths of the people riding alongside him. He often darkly imagined that they had blamed him. For not getting there in time. For not telling them about the female titan. For being a useless, shitty captai-

Levi cut off that train of thought. Not now. Not when they were in front of him, so full of life.

Seeing his squad, alive and bickering like usual, it was too good of a sight to pass up. Olou childishly imitating him, Eld and Gunther poking fun at Petra and Olou, Eren floundering about as though he wasn’t planning on mass murdering billions of people in five years. It made him miss them even more, knowing none of what was happening was actually happening.

He had spent years mourning his comrades. When Paradise had begun advancing in technology, when they had seen the ocean and explored what was on the other side of it, he had missed all of them. Achieving so much without them had always left him feeling a little empty.

How long was this journey going to last? How long would he spend in this fantasy world? Why was he even here? Maybe he was still alive and hallucinating about the people of his past. This was all in his head, the dying dreams of a useless old man taking his last breathes. As they reached the castle, he immediately gave orders for cleaning the filthy place.

He would mourn his own failures later.

* * *

Later at night, Levi sat in his chair, feeling his frustration return to him full force. Dream world or not, it didn’t change how useless he had become. Losing to that shitty monkey, getting so brutally injured, unable to contribute a damn thing to the battle. Armin had gotten kidnapped right in front of his eyes, Connie had nearly died and Mikasa of all people had to save him . He was the one those idiots called humanity’s strongest yet he had been nothing but cannon fodder. A burden.

He hadn’t been able to do shit for them. Zeke was still alive, a horde of shitty titans with limitless energy were blocking their way to Eren, they had no supplies and no way of leaving the battlefield without Armin. An absolutely pathetic situation–and it had been all his fault.

If only he had killed Zeke back in the forest. If he had chopped his head off and burned his body to ashes, none of this would have happened. Eren had needed Zeke to activate the rumbling, without him, none of this would have happened. So many lives had been lost because of that monkey, turned into mindless titans and slaughtered. Commander Pixis, Nile..

And he was the one who let it get that far.

Rather then ending the entire battle in a flash- he had made a mistake. A mistake that had cost them too much. His own abilities and the lives of his comrades. He would never be able to sleep in peace again.

With Zeke dead, they would have had time. Eren would need Historia for the rumbling and would have had to wait till she gave birth. They could have talked things through–or sealed Eren up or even given Eren’s power to someone else. Anything would have been better then the senseless genocide Eren had launched.

A part of him also questioned if he was to blame for Eren lashing out like this. Coming up with such a plan, going against the military.. Why had Eren not trusted him? He hadn’t been the nicest but, Levi felt a pang of hurt as thought about how much he had sacrificed for Eren. His comrades and their lives had been reduced to less then dirt particles, to keep Eren alive. Only for him to turn on them so easily. If Eren and Zeke had been really working together, did that mean he had known Zeke would try to kill him? Was there anything he could have done to change the outcome of all of this? Just where had he messed up with Eren and lost track of him? Despite all the questions plaguing him, he knew he couldn’t undo the past. Dwelling on it like this was doing him no favours.

And now, here he was, despite his failiures, in tip top shape, completely okay. Yet he wasn’t where he was needed. His brats were fighting for their lives and here he was fantasising about a better life as though he hadn’t just damned all the others.

Scowling fiercely, he forced himself to calm down. Nothing would make how miserable he was feeling go away. He could only wait for himself to wake up and face his reality. Hopefully, he would be the only casualty in the mission. He wasn’t sure he could look any of them in the eye again if he lived and one of them hadn’t. Sasha’s death had already been too much for him.

His headache wouldn’t go away, so he went to make himself some tea. Only, he found himself stopping short at the sound of someone sniffling. Levi discreetly approached the source of the sound.

Remus Ferguson

The brat had been in the survey corps for about a year now. If Levi recalled right, he had lost his girlfriend in the last expedition, which explained the tears so late at night. Remus himself would die when the female titan attack-

Wait.

What. The. Fuck.

He hadn’t seen this before. Everything so far, every interaction, it had occurred before. But this hadn’t. He hadn’t seen remus crying last time. He had known of Remus crying up a storm at night, courtesy of his squad members. But he hadn’t witnessed it first hand.

Watching the teen sob, he began rationalising the events of today.

If he was in some self constructed fantasy world, why wasn’t it all happy? Why were there still titans? Why was anyone in pain? Where were Isabel and Farlan? He knew he had never wanted to see any of his comrades in pain. Unless…this wasn’t just a dying man’s fantasy..

If he had to fantasise about a happier time in his life, wouldn’t it be with his mother? He had always known that the one thing he had wanted most in the past twenty something years was to feel his mother’s warmth again. To hear her sweet voice sing him a lullaby to sleep. So if he really was dying, why see this? Why be back at a time where everything was just okay? Why not a time where he was actually happy?

In fact, why not a world where he everyone he wanted to be alive was alive? Rather then a dream, it felt like he had been plucked from one time period and left to live his life from another one…

His mind raced as he finally reached a conclusion, and without a second thought he fled back to his room, too shocked to acknowledge his new discovery.

* * *

A knife had been Levi’s companion in life far longer then any other human being. His mother, Kenny, Isabel, Farlan, Erwin, Hange and all his other comrades had come and gone. But knives had been consistent. Constant.

Even after he had escaped the clutches of the underground and its lawlessness, he had always carried one with him. It made him feel safe, knowing he had weapon– even if it was virtually useless while fighting titans. Of course, Erwin hadn’t known about it. It was the one thing he wasn’t willing to be talked out of, even by Erwin.

Although, Levi mused to himself, Erwin would have been justified in taking it away if he could see him right now, pointing said weapon at his arm, ready to slice.

If he actually bled, if he was still sitting here, bleeding but alive and well, he would admit his findings to himself and move forward, just as he always had. He would accept the situation, no matter how crazy it seemed, and plan accordingly.

Resolving himself, he slid the knife.

Ten minutes later, Levi finally admitted it.

He had travelled back in time.


	2. White Poppy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Capricorns are responsible and disciplined. You always make the most practical decisions. You think about things thoroughly before acting, and you make choices based on what provides the most benefits for everyone.
> 
> Alternatively, Levi decides what to do.

Usually, when he was left alone in his office, Levi was either buried in an absurd amount of paperwork, courtesy of Erwin, or trying to sleep a little.

Today, however, he was simply sitting at his desk and staring mindlessly at the table. He didn’t even feel the urge to get himself some tea, too lost in his internal monologue. 

He was back in the past. The Godamn shitty past.

Eren hadn’t turned into a douche bag yet. Erwin was still alive. 95% of the people that had been dead to him a day ago, were alive and well. And if he played his cards right, he could ensure that at least some of them would stay alive.

He could and would change shit.

But.. How?

Levi was a practical man. He knew his own limits when it came to plotting and planning. There was no way for him to change things in a way that wouldn’t result in the rumbling. Not on his own. Only the likes of Hange or Armin or-

_Erwin_

* * *

‘Erwin.’

'Yes Levi?’

Erwin continued to work, not even bothering to look at Levi as he filled out forms for the upcoming expedition. It was late at night and the blonde commander was sitting at his desk, working away as everyone else slept. Others would think he was simply sleep deprived and that’s why he was hardly paying attention to his trusted captain.

Levi knew better. Erwin was always sharp, he just preferred luring people into a false sense of security that he wasn’t.

He leaned back against the couch, crossing his legs casually and took a sip of his tea.

'I’ve been thinking about your plan.’

'And?’

'I think we made a mistake.’

At this, Erwin calmly settled his pen down and finally deigned to look at him.

'Explain.’

Okay, time to put his plan into motion.

'We’re sure that The Armoured and Colossal are like Eren right? Humans that can transform into titans?’

'Yes.’

'The Colossal Titan and Armoured Titan appeared five years ago. Which means whoever is inside those shitty titans, they have at least five years of experience over Eren. Taking him and my squad into a battle field where they aren’t prepared for enemies like that-’

Levi could only feel relief as Erwin’s expression lit up with understanding.

'It means that I judged wrong. Of course, not all titan shifters would be like Eren. They’ve had more time and access to their power. More time to harness it in battle. Eren has hardly had 2 months and still can’t transform at will. This makes it difficult to use him as bait to lure out the traitor, because simply put, Eren won’t be able to protect himself. In which case, we would risk losing our greatest weapon and… ’

Watching him open the drawer and pull out the mission plan, Levi realised that he had forgotten how smart Erwin was. He could practically see the gears turning in his mind. The brilliant bastard was changing the plan as they spoke.

'Exactly. And if the Armoured Titan comes after us, we’re fucked. We don’t have anyone except Eren who even stands a chance against it. And that’s not saying much.’

Levi liked to believe it was sheer dumb luck that Annie had come after them, rather then Reiner. They could at least still fight and capture Annie with their limited resources–Reiner would have gotten away with Eren easily.

'Do you think your squad can take on a titan shifter?’

Levi blinked and snapped out of his thoughts.

'Frankly, no. If the shifter is Eren, he’ll get his ass kicked. If it’s the Armoured fucker, they’re dead.’

His old squad just wasn’t able to take on an opponent like that. They were all prepared to take on the worst, however, Levi acknowledged their lack of creativity and improvisation. They would simply think between to kill or to not kill, which was likely what would had gotten them killed in the first place. If they had let Eren transform first and tire out the female titan before they fought her, they would have likely lived. His next squad had proven better then them because of this–for they often found ways to fight and get out of it alive against the shittiest of odds.

'Even if we tell them about the traitor?’

'If we tell them, they’ll judge accordingly and try to keep Eren safe no matter what.’

If he instructed his squad of the situation beforehand, he was confident they’d get out of it alive. They weren’t the best at spur of the moment thinking, but they were still extremely talented. As long as they stuck to his orders and were informed enough, they’d manage well.

'Do you think we should tell Eren?’

Inwardly, Levi winced at the mention of Eren, remembering that he still hadn’t figured out what to do about him.

'Yes. The brat needs to be prepared too. And.. I think we need to give him reasons to trust us.’

Erwin raised an eyebrow at him, silently probing for more. Levi obliged.

'The brat’s a Survey Corps fanboy. The hero worship will wear off soon enough. I’d rather our greatest weapon actually trust us because we give him reasons to. Don’t want to risk him acting out.’

'Fair. This is rather odd coming from you, I-’

'Don’t take this the wrong way. I don’t trust him. But he should trust us. We’re gambling lives for his shitty ass.’

'Ah. I see.’

'How much are you going to change the plan?’

'I haven’t decided yet. I’ll tell you by tommorow. I need to think on it a little more.’

'I just want you to let me tell my squad about the traitor. The rest is your shit to figure out.’

’… Well, you do have valid reasons so-’

Levi smirked,

'So act in whatever manner you see fit.’

Levi nodded before making to leave. His job here was done. Just as he was about to shut the door and leave Erwin to strategise, he paused.

'You might regret letting me do what I want.’

Erwin smiled at him.

'No regrets.’

Levi almost smiled back, but instead opted to shut the door.

* * *

Early in the morning, Levi walked outside in the courtyard. The sun had risen a while ago and the air had been crisp. It wouldn’t be long till his comrades would be awake, so he figured a stroll to clear his mind wouldn’t hurt.

Had he made the right decision? Levi honestly didn’t know.

Initially, he had planned to just tell Erwin everything. About Marley, Eren letting his inner lunatic out full blast, the truth about the King. But, he had stopped himself.

Maybe it was because he had grown used to not having Erwin around, that he was making decisions on his own? Or maybe it was just that he was tired of following orders that only got people killed?

He hadn’t wanted to not tell his squad about the traitor, yet he had obeyed orders and stayed quiet. Resulting in their deaths.

He hadn’t wanted to go along with the battle in Stohess District, but he had obeyed orders and watched countless civillians die.

He hadn’t wanted to take part in any plan that involved keeping Zeke alive but he had fucking obeyed orders and done it. The end result had been a mass genocide that none of them had been able to stop.

He knew Erwin would lead them well if he knew everything, but for now, he would prefer changing things using his own authority. It was selfish of him, but he had learned his lesson.

Ever since that dark day in that field, when he had made his decision to serve in the Survey Corps, he had always relied on Erwin. Or rather, his orders. It had been easier to let him make all the decisions and just go with it. The objective was always completed, so the cost had always been brushed aside.

Except following orders like that had only worked for singular, short term goals. When it came to the end goal, it had only led to their destruction.

Levi was scared that if he followed Erwin half blind like before, history would only repeat itself. But what if he made it worse? Erwin had always been more visionary. The brains of the operation. Levi was used to being the brawns that just did as told.

He kicked a pebble, sighing. Taking a deep breathe he closed his eyes–only for someone to bump into his chest and fall to the ground.

Levi didn’t so much as step back, hardly phased. He frowned at the person rubbing their head as they half lay on the floor.

It was a woman, with startling, long red hair. A basket lay next to her, full of flowers. Some had fallen out of the basket.

'Tch. Watch where you’re going.’

The woman looked up at him, vivid pretty green eyes blinked up at him in confusion. Levi raised an eyebrow, and then realisation dawned upon her. She immediately scampered upto her feet. 

'I’m so, so sorry–I was - I mean- I didn’t mean to bump into you Captain. It was an honest mistake.’

'Whatever.’

He rolled is eyes and gestured to the flowers on the ground.

'Well? Clean up this mess’

'Oh yes, of course.’

She began hurriedly picking up the flowers, before nervously apologising to him once more and running off. Just as he was about to walk back to his office, he noticed a flower she hadn’t picked up.

Holding it in his hand, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of peace. It was a white poppy. Clutching it tightly, he began to climb the stairs to his office, suddenly feeling more sure of himself then ever.

Hange had told him, in one of her I- learned-something-new-so-your-eardrums-have-to-suffer sessions, about what a poppy symbolised. Peace. The end and remembrance of a war. It had been one of the last happy conversations he had with her, right before Eren had unleashed hell on them.

Peace was all Levi had ever wanted–not just for himself, but for everyone living in the walls. And he would try his damned hardest to achieve that.

Yet again, he would believe in his own decisions. This time, he would trust himself even more. Feeding Erwin little information that made sense would be easy enough, the man was intelligent enough to draw conclusions that would benefit them.

And, there were somethings he would prefer that still happened. To keep things predictable for him. Like the 57th Expedition. He would capture Annie this time around and not let the Stohess Battle occur. The wall titans and humanity existing outside the walls could be proven when Historia was made queen and they reached the basement-

Wait, shit.

_Historia was still part of the Survey Corps_.

* * *

Levi stared blankly at the flower on his desk, debating whether if breaking the queen’s legs before she was even queen would be considered treason. Because there was no way in hell he was letting her near any danger.

Historia was a game changer. A hope for the war. Levi knew some people would still die, but Historia was one who couldn’t. Eren could be replaced, Erwin could be replaced, Levi himself could be replaced, but not Historia. He would have to get her out of the fold safely-

**Knock knock**

'Come in’ Levi answered without a second thought. Petra entered holding a tray full of biscuits and a steaming cup of tea.

'Captain, here’s your morning tea. The staff had some biscuits today too.’

'Ah. Thank you. Just put it here.’

Petra settled the tea cup and plate on his desk, catching sight of the poppy.

'That’s a pretty flower captain. Where did you pick it from?’

'I didn’t. I got it from some girl.’

If Levi hadn’t been busy checking the temperature of his tea, he would have noticed the slightly crushed expression on his comrades face. By the time he looked at her again, the girl was saluting him.

'Petra–go tell the others we’ll be doing transformation experiments with Eren today. Everyone has an hour to get ready. If anyone’s late, they’ll have a special sparring session with me.’

'Yes Sir!’

Watching her leave, he resolved himself. He was doing what he could for them. He would try to get them closer to peace. He found himself looking at the white poppy again, the barest hints of a smile on his face.

He might just have to thank that girl for bumping into him.

.. And look into the law books regarding what injuries to historia wouldn’t count as treason. There had to be at least one right?

* * *

A/N: hope y'all liked this! Sorry I’ve been MIA. My dad got pnemoneia and ended up admit in the hospital. Thankfully we caught it in time, so he’s recovered well now. But it’s been a crazy couple of days.

Soo, I debated Levi being absolutely honest with Erwin and telling him the entire truth but I realized it wouldn’t work. The story is going to be set in more changing the timeline from chapter 4 I think, when the expedition starts. I’m actually writing this as I go sooo, *laughs nervously. Also poor historia. Will Levi actually break her legs? Till next time!


	3. Brace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Capricorns can be naturally pessimistic. They already expect unfortunate things to happen in life, so they take them in a stride.
> 
> Alternatively, Levi braces himself for the worst and is pleasantly suprised.

Telling his squad had gone better then he thought it would. His special ops members took the news it in a stride, immediately launching into a discussion of what they needed to do now and how to utilize this information best. Eren, as expected of his 15 year old version, was befuddled.

Levi wondered how someone so innocent looking transformed into a complete monster in such short time.

His squad had lived up to his expectations, easily concluding that they need to keep this information to themselves for now. Eld, ever the natural born leader, took the lead and suggested that they need to learn to work with Eren. So that they aren’t caught off guard on the bare minimum skill level they can expect from the traitor.

Gunther was the one who brought up the possibility of facing the armoured titan, and even though Levi was sure they wouldn’t have to face that particular beast yet, he still agreed with their suggestions of carrying some fire arms. Thunder spears didn’t exist yet, which meant that grenades and canons would be their best shot.

Eren had tried to voice out his own suggestion, that he wanted to train his skill set too. He felt that he needex to improve in some areas, and although Levi bitterly recalled how much Eren had improved without help in another life, he had to agree with the brat.

His squad, however, didn’t share the same opinion and immediately began to shut Eren down.

‘Eren, your job is to trust us. We expect you to leave it all to us and transform as an absolute last resort!’

'Yeah, you brat, don’t get cocky. The only way you’ll fight is if we somehow di-’

Olou had bitten his tounge and cut himself off before Levi could. Levi had then interrupted before Eld and Gunther could throw in their two cents.

'Eren is the main target, what will all of you do if Eren is somehow dragged away you from you and has to fight for himself? We need to prepare this brat for everything, especially how to fight in his titan form.’

They had all shut up, but he could tell it was only because of Eren’s presence. They wouldn’t be caught dead speaking speak out against their superior, especially in front of Eren. Levi had taken advantage of that little fact.

'We’ll get back to this in a while– Eren it’s time for you to transform. Four eyes is here’

* * *

It went just like last time, Eren wasn’t able to transform. He sat in front of Levi, looking just as despondent he had the last time. He didn’t walk away from Eren like last time, instead having chosen to stick close to the brat. Some things still needed to happen, and Levi was just waiting for that inevitable explosion.

When Eren accidentally transformed this time, he immediately took out his blades and points them at his team, not at all surprised that they had already drawn their blades.

They would always be talented little brats, but they had a long way to go.

'Captain-’

'Put down your blades Petra.’

'Captain get away from Eren-Please-’

It had continued on, with the brats arguing in favour of heatedly questioning Eren and his motives, while he had ferociously stood by the him. It was a part of the plan really-he knew that Eren would be fine no matter what. He just hoped that, at least this time around, the brat would take his taking a stand for him like this into consideration before he decided to launch a mass genocide on his own.

'Shut up and obey.’

His team had faltered, and then slowly lowered their swords as he began to speak.

'Do you have any other titan shifters?’

They all looked confused. Only Olou managed to speak croak out a strangled no. Levi pointed at Eren, who was panicking alot less since Levi had begun to speak in his favour.

'You see this dumbass? He’s our only shot. There’s no replacement for him. All of you can be replaced, Erwin can be replaced, Hange can be replaced. Despite your silly admiration of me, I could easily drop dead and be replaced too.-’

His squad had looked scandalised at the thought of their beloved captain being anything remotely close to being replaceable. Then again, none of them had experienced Mikasa and her unnatural strength yet.

'We need him. He doesn’t need us. Understand that none of you can afford to point your blades at him without my orders. The next time you do so, I will be your opponent.’

Eld and Gunther had looked nervous, Olou had visibly begun to sweat and Petra had looked at him a little strangely. However, they all seemed to understand the point he wanted to make. ’

'Am I clear?

They all nodded

'Yes Sir!’

* * *

He had made sure to still have that chat with Eren, to make him understand his squads actions. He knew Eren trusted him a little more this time around-his showing support toward him like this had likely changed his opinion of him, if only a little. Levi was banking on that, hopefully he could push the kid in the right direction.

He had gone to his room after Hange had explained Eren’s transformation and his squad had shown support towards Eren by biting their hands. A filthy act, but he supposed in this case he would allow it. Not that it stopped him from ordering them to go sanitise their hands and not come near him for a while.

He had even made his tea on his own, unwilling to let them touch them with their germ infected hands. Petra had looked at him oddly when he had told her he would do it on his own, almost like a kicked puppy.

He sat in bed, tea long finished and mind occupied.

He had been somewhat productive so far, managing to manipulate Erwin into changing the plan to capture the female titan. His squad was well in the loop, and likely making several plans to take on a titan shifter. Eren was beginning to look at him with more trust, something he hoped would blossom more.

There was still too much to figure out though. And since Levi had resolved to not let Erwin in on the plan, he was now drowning in things he needed to figure out. How Erwin managed to sort through so much crap was beyond him.

Some things, he had already figured out. Others were still being debated upon.

When it came to Historia, he would injure her tommorow, to the point she wouldn’t be able make it to the expedition. She would likely try to jail him for it after taking the crown, but he figured he could call it vacation time from work and enjoy the silence. Those brats were too loud anyways.

He knew that Rod Reiss might come after her sooner after hearing that she had been injured, so he would have an old friend keep an eye out for her. It was an aquantince from the underground, one of the few he could trust, that had managed to crawl their way to the surface too. He was strong and capable-and very good at hiding when he needed to.

Only Levi had ever been able to find him- and since he knew Kenny Ackerman wouldn’t be used yet, he felt it was the best way to keep her safe.

He had also decided that he would have to kill Kenny. He had contemplated recruiting the old bastard, but Kenny was too much of a gamble. The type only Erwin would take on trying to recruit. And while it would be feasible to drop hints about his mentor in the underground to the Commander, he wasn’t sure the Survey Corps could handle a mission like that. Their attention needed to be on capturing shifters and getting Historia to the crown.

Maybe Erwin could risk something like that, but this time it would be his deicison. Kenny, despite his conflicting feelings towards him, had to be eliminated. He just couldn’t chance their opposition having someone like that on their side, and wasn’t confident enough that they could get him to jump ship.

The rest he was still a little muddled on. He was reasonably sure he could draw Ymir to their side, especially if he told her about how Historia would be queen soon. But the girl wasn’t dumb, she would also be able to tell that Historia would have a part time job as child breeder, and might even try to leave with her then.

It pained him to do so, but he couldn’t save Historia from that fate. He could, however try his damned hardest that her children wouldn’t be turned into shifters.

The other shifters left him feeling conflicted. They needed the Colossal titan, he would be their mass weapon against other nations. The moment he could, he would get the serum and feed Bertolts titan to one of their soldiers. There would be no compromising on that, no matter how much he wished he could lure the kid to their side instead and spare him from that painful death. He just didn’t know the kid enough to ensure he could win him over.

As for Reiner, Levi recalled the young man who had stepped up to stop Eren. He recognised that he was stuck in a tough place, but again, he would have to harden his heart. He had to keep his side as safe as possible, even if it meant taking away the armoured titan.

A part of him still hoped that he could get the kid to join him though, he would definitely try for it.

As for Zeke and Pieck, who had likely already arrived on the island, they would be dealt promptly. Zeke would need to be restrained and hidden away in a deep tunnel, while the cart titan would be given to someone else.

He would, unfortunately, have to allow Zeke to turn Ragako Village into titans. But he figured not everyone needed to be turned for it, he could at least get the children out of there. Connie’s mother had been key in figuring out the truth about titans, and so he would have to sacrifice her. But Connie’s siblings would at least live this time around.

More of his cormades would survive the attack too, having less titans to deal with. He was hoping that Mike and his squad would get out of it alive and not be dealt the same unfortunate fate they had suffered through before.

When it came to Annie, however, Levi already knew what to do. If all went well, he was more then sure that the Female Titan would be fighting for the Island soon enough.

His plans regarding the shifters were a big gamble on his part, since it was all relying on one thing specifically.

Getting the titan serum from the Royal government.

But Levi was a thief at heart, a man who knew how to get things no one wanted to give, to find them in the shadiest corner, completely undetected. Worst comes, he would easily infiltrate. Their security was crap anyways.

He would know. It wouldn’t be the first time he had stolen something from those bastards anyways.

Levi laid down, covering himself with a blanket. He thought of one last thing before he allowed sleep to overcome him.

It was dumb of Marley to send six of their shifters to the Island, and all at the same time too. Because Levi had no intention of letting any of them go back home, not this time around.

* * *

In all his years of living, Levi had gotten used to being surprised. He had gone through surprise attacks, friends turning into foes, getting punched by the Queen and even time travelled. Yet had taken it all in a stride.

He had expected that half his plans would fail, that he would end up losing his squad anyways, that Annie would escape this time too. But here they were, sitting in the mess hall, post expedition, and very much alive.

Erwin had informed more squads about the traitor, although thankfully Reiner and his squad hadn’t been told. Most of them had understood that they likely wouldn’t be able to take on the threat, and their squad leaders had made sure to have them engage very litte. They had tactfully allowed the Female Titan to pass through the formation, thus leading her to Eren. More lives had been saved this time around, much to his pleasure.

They had gone through the same plan, trapping her in the forest. Erwin had stood by and watched as the female titan glared at him. Beside him had stood soldier with black hair, wearing a hoodie. Their face had been hidden, but everyone had called that soldier captain Levi. It had made Annie think she was safe, that when she called titans to her and left to go after squad Levi, Humanity’s Strongest wouldn’t come after her until she accomplished her mission.

It was only when she reached the squad and made to slice at Gunther that she realise that she had been duped. The sight of Humanity’s Strongest blocking her blade with his own had caused her to sweat.

Things had gotten on easily then, she hadn’t been much match for him. And his squad had taken double their usual measures, going as far as to throw explosives at her before he could carve her out of the nape. Eren had watched it all in awe, thankfully the brat hadn’t needed to transform this time around.

His expression had quickly changed to shock and betrayal once he spotted his comrade sealed in a crystal. Levi wasn’t suprised that she had sealed herself like that this time too, he had been counting on it actually.

Levi snapped out of his thoughts and pushed his now empty tray away. He decided it was the perfect time to put his plan into action.

He needed to pay Annie Leonhart a visit.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Heyooo. Here’s chapter 3! Any guesses how Levi is getting Annie on their side?
> 
> Sorry I don’t post much, but I swear things have been ridiculously busy. Uni life, housework, and my mom is sick too :(

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So this idea got stuck in my head, because I rewatched AOT and realized a bunch of stuff that could be changed. I picked Levi because he’s my favorite. There’s going to be more parts for this–where Levi just changes everything. And it’ll basically end up a happier AOT. And yes, I plan on giving Levi some romance in this too, because this boi deserves it 😤. It won’t be complete happiness and fluff, because I plan on it being realistic. I also don’t know if anyone would actually like this but the urge to write it was too great. So, till next time!⭐


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